


Escaping the Jaws of Defeat

by nerdelation8



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (mostly), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Battle of Shiganshina, Bertolt gets rescued at the last moment, F/M, Female OC is basically a stand-in for the Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Bondage, POV Bertolt Hoover, Psychological Horror, Rescue, Romance, Starts off scary because it's Bertolt's POV, Swearing in a couple parts, Tied Up in a Basement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 09:42:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20405650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdelation8/pseuds/nerdelation8
Summary: Note: SPOILERS through the end of the third season!Bertholdt Hoover's last memory was of falling in the battle to retake Shiganshina.  When he wakes up in a dark, cold room with his arms and legs missing and a female Corps member telling him to be quiet, Bertholdt is terrified, but it turns out she's actually saving him from a horrible fate.  They both have to make sense of what happened and find their way out of the city.





	Escaping the Jaws of Defeat

Bertholdt Hoover awoke in near-darkness, a lone candle the only source of light.

The air was cold and clammy. It was hard to see, but he was in a room made of stone.

Bertholdt shivered. _Where am I?_

The dark-haired man tried to lean forward, and found that his chest had been bound to a chair. 

His eyes darted to his body. With mounting dread, he saw the steam rising from his wounds and realized what had happened.

_My arms are gone!_

_So are my legs!_

His heartbeat quickened.

_Reiner and I must have been defeated. The Survey Corps cut me out of my Titan…but they haven’t yet killed me!_

Of course, this could only mean one thing. 

They wanted information.

Bertholdt tried to steel himself for what was to come.

The face of a female Corps member suddenly appeared in front of him, and a yelp of fear escaped the Titan Shifter. 

The cute girl smiled. Bertholdt’s eyes went wide.

_I remember her! She was in the 104th and the Survey Corps with me...and now she’s going to torture me._

“N-No!” he cried, thrashing in the chair. He suddenly noticed a poker and tongs lying on the stone wall of the room, next to a fireplace. 

He pleaded with her, his voice barely above a whisper. “D-Don’t torture me! Please!”

Even as he said it, he knew it was no use. The Eldians of Paradis were not going to be kind to him. "Please, I was just a kid when this started! If I don’t finish my mission, they’ll kill me!”

“Bertholdt Hoover,” the girl said slowly. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“No,” he cried in muted desperation. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

“There are people who’d do anything to find out what you know. But don’t worry, I’m not going to torture you.”

His eyes bulged with horror. _Then – oh God. They must know how Shifter powers get passed down, and they're after mine. They’re preparing a Titan to eat me!_

He started to scream for Reiner, but she clapped a hand over his mouth. At that very moment, an enormous footstep sounded in the distance.

Both of them went silent. Had the Titan’s footstep covered up Bertholdt’s cry, or been drawn to it?

“Quiet!” the girl whispered urgently. “They’ll find us!”

The footsteps paused, as if their owner was considering the situation. Then they slowly moved away, thudding into the distance.

_Wait, “they’ll” find us? What’s going on here?_

Bertholdt's eyes gleamed with confusion. His cheeks still bore scars from where their sinews had attached to the Colossal Titan. 

The girl's expression was one of sadness and – what was it, mercy? Bertholdt might have wrongly assessed this situation.

The girl said sheepishly, “I guess it kind of does look like a torture chamber in here, but don’t worry. This is just some random basement.”

As the dark-haired man scanned the room again, his eyes started to adjust to the darkness. He realized the girl was right. There were bags of grain and other items here that didn't belong in a dungeon. 

Though there was no rule saying torture HAD to happen in a dungeon. She could be lulling him into a false sense of security.

“Seriously, I’m not going to hurt you,” she said gently. “Just listen.” (As if he could do anything else right now.) 

She continued, “That sound in the distance - that’s the Titan that Levi just made. You were passed out on the rooftop with the Survey Corps, your arms and legs were all hacked off, and Levi had one syringe of Titan maker, but they couldn’t decide who to transform to eat you. They were arguing whether it should be Erwin or Armin, and then Eren dropped you on the corner of the roof and he and Levi got into a _fistfight_ – it was crazy, everyone ran up and tried to get them to stop - and then…in the confusion…”

Bertholdt was taking all this in.

“…I crept up there and kinda snuck you away.”

She continued, “Way back when the Beast Titan showed up, I started to freak out, and hid…so they probably think I’m dead. They’ll be looking for you, though. Once they debate what to do with their new Titan.”

Bertholdt was flabbergasted.

“Do you promise not to scream?” the girl asked him.

He nodded vigorously.

The Survey Corps member drew away her hand. 

“You...rescued me?” Bertholdt asked in a weak voice.

She nodded. 

“You were able to sneak past _Levi Ackerman?”_

“And the others, somehow. That fight they were having was crazy.”

“Holy shit,” Bertholdt said to the girl.

She bent forward with a laugh and embraced him. 

Bert's green-brown eyes widened. They darted around. Then he began to relax, and an almost imperceptible blush began to color his cheeks.

The girl smelled sweet. And Bert's body couldn’t help but relax against her curves. 

_Back in training, if Annie hadn’t been there, and if this girl hadn’t been a Paradisian…I might have…_

The girl hugged him tight. “Oh, Bertholdt!” she cried happily. 

His body was reacting in a certain way. _I hope she doesn't notice it,_ he thought with sharp embarrassment. 

_Not that it matters. We could get caught by the Corps or a Titan at any second._

The girl either didn’t notice his arousal or didn’t care. “No one’s going to eat you, Bertholdt." Her eyes began to prickle with tears. "I swear!”

The Titan Shifter was pessimistic about that, but at this moment he was grateful to not be in a monster's jaws.

“Why did you save me?”

She pulled away from the hug, seemingly offended at the question. She wiped moisture from her cheeks. _“Of course_ I couldn’t watch you get torn to bits! That's horrible! NO ONE deserves to get eaten alive!”

_But…I’m the Colossal Titan,_ Bertholdt thought. _We both know it._

“Not even you,” she said quietly.

The girl didn’t dare tell him that _also, I’ve always had kind of a crush on you._

The man let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said, saying her name and letting his head flop forward into the tan sleeve of her jacket. Lying here like this, Bertholdt couldn't help but have the strange feeling that everything was going to be alright. 

The girl looked around for a blanket. She found one in a corner of the basement. Then she untied Bertholdt from the chair, brought him into a closet and sat there, holding his battered body, for the rest of the night.

_The Corps could burst into this basement at any moment,_ she thought.

_There's no use worrying about it, though. _

_If they find us, they find us…_

_At least I tried._

* * * * *

Earlier

“Where’s Bertholdt?”

The dumbfounded Scouts stared at the empty bit of rooftop. A few seconds passed.

“He was _just here,”_ continued Jean.

“Idiots,” said Mikasa. 

Levi stopped injecting Armin’s charred body and jerked upwards in alarm.

Eren spat an expletive and gritted his teeth.

“Don’t stop! We have to finish the Titan injection,” Hange urged. 

“Bertholdt couldn’t have gone anywhere by himself,” said Levi. 

Mikasa said, “Obviously.”

He glared at her. “We’ll have to search the area to find who took him.” He finished giving Armin the shot and jetted to a nearby rooftop.

“Everyone, get away!” Hange cried. “Armin’s going to be a Titan in about three seconds!”

Everyone ran for cover as a lightning bolt split the sky and a huge, grotesque, blond Titan emerged from where Armin had been.

There was no hint of their friend’s caring and thoughtful nature. Armin was nothing but a man-eating monster now.

As the survivors watched the scene, even Mikasa got a lump in her throat.

Tears pricked at Connie's eyes. 

“We can’t kill him,” Eren said from the top of a mostly-intact bell tower.

Levi agreed, “We’ll have to lure Titan Armin away and search the area at the same time.”

Later

The army never did find Bertholdt, although they searched hundreds of houses. Amazingly, no one checked the basement of this particular house, not to mention the closet the girl and Bertholdt had been hiding in. Eventually, the sounds from outside vanished. The remnants of the decimated Survey Corps had to admit defeat and go home. 

They each had their own pet theories about where the holder of the Colossal Titan had gone. 

Jean Kirschstein wondered if the Cart Titan had come by again and stolen Bertholdt while they weren’t looking. 

“It’s snuck up on us before,” Mikasa said. 

“It totally has,” Connie added. “That freaky-looking Duckman!”

“It’s amazingly silent for such a big creature,” Hange said with a touch of admiration. “All the Titans are.”

“Shut up,” Levi said.

“I don’t even care which motherfucker took Bertholdt. Whoever they are, I’ll kill them,” Eren growled. 

“God, you’re even more annoying than she is,” said Levi flatly. 

“Armin’s Titan is loud as hell for some reason,” said Jean, following up on Hange’s comment. “Did you hear it stomping around?”

“Should make him easy to capture,” Hange replied. “As soon as we can get back here with spears and cables, we can take him back to the castle.”

“You better not do any experiments on him,” said Eren. “I don’t care if he’s a Titan, he’s still Armin.” His voice faltered. “He’s still…my friend…”

He turned away and looked at the scenery.

Hange and Jean glanced at each other.

“Of course not,” said Hange, uncharacteristically gently. “And we’ll find Bertholdt soon. Once we do, Armin can eat him and then you’ll have your friend back.”

_We’ll cure Armin someday,_ Eren thought, fighting away his emotions. _We have to. And we'll always remember Erwin's sacrifice._

Around that time, Bertholdt woke up. He looked at the girl who had fallen asleep holding him. He looked down. 

_Thank God. My limbs are fully regrown._

He avoided moving for a moment, savoring the feeling of the girl's body on his and her soft breathing. He wrapped his arms gently around her and shuddered.

_This feels so good. _

_But…I can’t stay._

Carefully removing her arms from his middle, Bertholdt glanced through a crack in the closet door. The candle in the room had burned almost down to the wick. There was still no sign of any enemies.

He was just about ready to leave when his conscience poked at him. 

_She saved me from getting eaten. Can I really just leave her here?_

Bertholdt looked at the sleeping girl again. His ears turned pink. He found himself returning to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, wake up.”

She bolted upright, hand on her sword. Then she saw him and smiled.

“Bertholdt! You’re back to normal again!”

“I am. Thank you for helping me.”

With a bittersweet smile, he stood back up to his full six foot three. 

The girl recoiled with an uneasy realization. 

He was no longer at her mercy…she was at his.

_Bertholdt could kill me here and no one would even know._

She drew her arms in protectively, on instinct. As she stared into Bertholdt’s green-brown eyes, she felt a twinge of fear.

“You’re…not going to kill me, are you?”

The expression on his face said that that was ridiculous. “Of course not. You saved my life.” They stared at each other for a couple beats, then Bertholdt said something on a crazy whim. He said it so casually she wasn’t sure if she’d heard it correctly. “Come with me, if you want.”

“Come with you?"

Her heart started to beat faster. A pleasant feeling echoed through her body. 

_This is insane._

Bertholdt realized he was looming - as a tall person, he tended to do that. Plus, she was sitting. He knelt down to talk to her. “If you stay here, and the Corps finds out you gave aid and comfort to the enemy…they’ll definitely throw you in jail. They’ll most likely assume you’re working with us, and torture you for information.”

“I could just say I passed out during the battle or something, then show up back at HQ.” 

But they both knew that wasn’t realistic.

“I still don’t understand why you rescued me,” said Bertholdt. He looked at her seriously. “Thank you, but…you should know that I can’t abandon my mission just because of your kindness.”

“I understand,” she said, lowering her eyes. “You’ve got that mission, whatever it is. And I can’t stay in the Corps. Honestly, it’s shocking that I’ve made it this long without getting eaten. Joining the Corps at age 16 may not have been the best decision for a coward...”

“Saving me was brave,” the Titan Shifter said. 

She looked up at him. 

“Do you like me?” he asked suddenly.

“What?!” she said, turning red almost instantly. “B-Bertholdt!”

What was he saying?! Bertholdt scratched the side of his neck, heart beating madly. “I mean...do...would you like to come with me? I can make sure you’re protected. Nobody will hurt you. For saving me, you'll probably be considered a hero.” He mumbled, “We can…” 

__

He finished the sentence in his head, _probably even get to know each other better when the mission’s over. If you want._

__

“Wait, a _what_ hero?”

__

“Look, just come with me, okay? I…I _like_ you,” he admitted with a pained expression. _I noticed you, even when we were back in the 104th..._ “I'd regret it if you got killed on this island.”

__

He was blurting things out even worse than Reiner Braun did.

__

The girl's mind was blown. “Wait, what-?!” _Did Bertholdt just say that he liked me?! And that we're on an island?_

__

_What is going on right now?_

__

They both realized there would be plenty of time later for an explanation.

__

“Well,” the girl said. “It’s not like I can stay here anyway. Bertholdt, take me to Titan Town or wherever it is you come from.”

__

"Titan Town?" Bertholdt said. Then for the first time today, he burst out laughing.

__

His amusement was adorable.

__

"What?" the girl said, starting to smile too. She playfully tapped his arm. "Hey, don't laugh at me! _I_ don't know what it's called!"

__

Hours later, the Colossal Titan strode calmly across the hilly landscape. The tiny Survey Corps girl held on inside his mouth, her arms encircling one of his gigantic teeth.

__

It was warm inside, like a hot bathtub. Once she'd been able to repress the thought that this was a Titan’s mouth, and ignore the slime on her body, it was actually sort of relaxing. 

__

When they reached the outskirts of the island, the Colossal Titan stopped, sat down, and a mighty right hand reached up to its jaws. Bertholdt opened his mouth and grunted, encouraging the girl to step on. When he’d lowered her safely to the ground, he exited the creature’s nape. Muscles, sinews, and bone all began to evaporate in vast clouds. 

__

The Cart Titan looked up as Bertholdt stepped down onto the grass. The holder of the Beast Titan walked out of a large military tent and stared at their two visitors.

__

“So, Mr. Hoover,” Zeke said, polishing his glasses with a fine cloth. He didn't seem entirely surprised to see Bertholdt standing there, but he was amused. “You did survive.”

__

A stocky blond man emerged from the same tent. Seeing Bertholdt, his eyes lit up. “BERT!” He ran up and clapped him on the shoulder, throwing him into a manly embrace. “You made it! My God! Zeke told me you were dead, man!”

__

Reiner’s gaze then fell on the girl next to Bertholdt, the one in the Survey Corps outfit. His expression turned dubious. “Why is _she_ here?"

__

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a follow-up called We Can't Take Souvenirs Home With Us, you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20531837


End file.
